Disabled Hands

Cot'nWash Droops: Easy to Use Laundry Detergent Packets

For many people with Disabled Hands from Arthritis or other conditions or reduced strength in their arms (i.e. Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, etc.)or even back pain doing the laundry can be very difficult. Not only do you have heavy lifting of baskets full of clean or dirty cloths you have heavy and bulky containers of laundry detergent. Years ago I switched from powdered detergents to liquid as it was easier to manage when going to laundromats or dorm/apartment laundry rooms. The powered detergent can also be a respiratory irritant when spilled and then wiped or vacuumed up.

Now comes a new option that is great for people not wanting to struggle with heavy detergent bottles. Droops are A Dissolvable, Ready-to-use, Organic, Premeasured Packet of concentrated laundry detergent. No pouring, touting heavy bottles, opening awkward bottle caps, spilling, measuring etc. Just toss one in the washer and you're done. You can order them online so you don't even need to lug them home from the store.

Other brands would be smart to emulate this packaging innovation as the population ages and more and more people begin living with Disabled Hands. Tide, I'm talking to you.

Cot'nWash: Droops

Disabled Hands also recommends the Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener

Technorati Tags: aging in place, arthritis, baby boomer, back pain, bad back, branding, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, cleaning, cloths washing, detergant, disability, disabled, Disabled Hands, Droops, fibromyalgia, laundry, Lupus, puppy, soap

Dirty Disabled Hands? Try the Sharper Image Soap Genie Automatic Soap & Lotion Dispenser

More and more mainstream products are incorporating electronics and automation that makes the products easier for those with disabilities to use them. The Sharper Image Soap Genie Automatic Soap & Lotion Dispenser is a good example of this trend. The dispenser deposits a measured amount of soap or lotion when the dispenser detects a hand under the dripless spout.

This is useful for those with Disabled Hands who have diminished hand and arm strength. A typical push to dispense bottle can be unstable when the top is pressed. This is especially true when the bottle is less then half full. For those frustrated by typical liquid hand soap or lotion pump dispenser bottles this automatic solution is a good option.

If you or someone you know has diminished hand functions with arthritis, stroke paralysis, hand injury, hand loss, neuromuscular condition or other disability get one or two of these dispensers for the home and office. The added benefit of easier and thus more freaquent hand washing is, of course, less exposure to colds and flu that can be very serious even life threatening conditions for people with disabilities.

Amazon: Sharper Image Soap Genie Automatic Soap & Lotion Dispenser

Related:
Shower Product Packaging (soap dispensers)
Packaging Innovation: Brawny Stash A Pack (paper towels)

Disabled Hands also recommends the Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener

Technorati Tags: arthritis, automatic lotion dispenser, automatic soap dispenser, automation, bacteria, bathroom, broken wrist, disability, disabled, dispenser, electronics, ergonomics, hand washing, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, Parkinson's Disease, quadriplgia, Repetitive Stress Injury, Sharper Image, soap, stroke, washing hands, wrist injury, wrist surgery

Help With Hot Liquids: Color Changing Spoons

Here's a spoon that changes color when the liquid or food it's placed in reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This is useful for heating food in a microwave. Since microwave ovens vary in their power settings cooking times vary as well. One microwave oven may heat your soup in 2 minutes while another might need 5 minutes. A spoon like this can indicate when enough heat has been applied.

This is also useful for people who have reduced temperature sensation in their hands and those who need to wear protective gloves to protect their arthritic hands. With gloves on it may not be possible to sense when a cooking bowl or mug is warm and consequently so to the contents.

Shop.com: Color Changing Spoons (via)

Technorati Tags: arthritis, microwave oven, spoons, utensils

Celebrity Disabled Hands: Matt Lauer

OK, so I am a little late with this but NBC's Today show co-anchor, Matt Lauer has had ligament surgery and is sporting a cast on his left wrist for six weeks. Welcome to the world of Disabled Hands, Matt. Lauer, who is left handed, probably has a phalanx of assistants and interns standing by to help him with daily tasks. Still, I imagine he's having to adapt to all sorts of awkward situations from tying his shoes to showering to personal hygiene. It appears from seeing his manipulating papers and constantly holding his "interviewers pen" during interview segments (some consultant somewhere thinks it adds authority to an interviewer) that he's not favoring his left wrist. I suspect that he's not experiencing any pain from the surgery. Soon the cast will be off and he'll return to normal life perhaps with a lingering understanding of those that live with Disabled Hands for extended periods of time or permanently.

Maybe his model wife will hook him up with a Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener for Valentine's Day.

Technorati Tags: Black&Decker, left handed, Lids Off, Matt Lauer, wrist cast, wrist injury, wrist surgery

Disabled Hands May Need New Ways of Tying Shoes

We all have years of experience simply tying our shoes. We have all tied our shoes thousands of times. But now as the hand function goes it's becoming a problem. I can tie my shoes pretty well when I am home sitting on the edge of my bed but when I am out and about and I look down to see a shoe untied, That's a crisis. I've got to find a decent place to sit down to spend a couple of minutes retying. Towards that end I am on the lookout for workable alternate solutions and certainly techniques form securely tying my shoes in the first place.

If you haven't seen Ian's Shoelace Site it's a must read for anyone learning to tie their shoes or anyone looking to find new ways of lacing and tying their shoes. Did you know that there are 13 ways to tie your shoes? Maybe it's just something to share with the children or grandchildren.

Related:
Trouble Tying Shoes: Try Elastic Shoelaces
Trouble Tying Shoes: Consider Speed Laces

Disabled Hands also recommends the Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener

Technorati Tags: knots, shoe laces, shoelaces, shoes

Gorillapod: Help for Holding and Using Digital Cameras

I love my digital camera but limited hand strength and dexterity often makes it difficult to take good pictures. As cameras get smaller and smaller they are just hard to hold and push the shutter button without blocking the flash or obscuring the display screen. For years I have often used a very small tripod as a handle to help me hold the camera.

The Gorillapod appears to be a great solution to blurred pictures from camera movement. This flexible tripod wraps itself around almost anything to hold a camera steady for great photos. This would be great wrapped around a hand and/or arm to capture great candid photos at a party or wedding.

Visit the website to see more pictures of this flexible tripod in action.

Gorillapod $24.95

Technorati Tags: camera, digital camera, disabled, Disabled Hands, ergonomics, photography, pictures, practical gift, Gorillapod, tripod

Anigmo Touchless Light Switches

The future is coming faster and faster. Anigmo is introducing a touchless light switch/dimmer switch next month. Wave your hand or arm infront of the panel once to turn lights on and once again to turn lights off. Hold your hand in front of the panel to dim the lights.

While I imagine these units will be costly it represents the future of lightswitches in schools, offices, hotels in addition to homes. As the public becomes more and more concerned with surface contamination and the spred of flu viruses, bacteria and germs, touchless solutions will flourish.

In the Disabled Hands home or office a touchless light control system is useful to those with reduced fine motor skills necessary to operate conventional switches and dimmers.

If you are building or renovating a home for an aging parent or a retirement home consider installing this kind of light control.

Anigmo: Touchless Dimmer Switches

Disabled Hands recommends the Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener $19.95 at Amazon

Related:
Conservation of Movement: Touchless Trashcan
Trouble Changing Lightbulbs: Motorized Lightbulb Changer

Technorati Tags: retirement home, Interior Design, Disabled Hands, aging in place, influenza, accessibility, dimmer switch, light switch, surface contamination, bacteria, design, touch free, touchless, cold virus

Beerhug Mug: Beverage Mugs with Insulated Handles

Here's a beer mug with an insulated handle. The makers of the Beerhug Mug are promoting this as a way to have a frosty mug of beer without a cold wet handle. There's also a market for these among those with Disabled Hands. who need soft warm and dry handles on their drink mugs. Those with Arthritis may have hands that are very sensitive to cold. Others with finger and wrist issues may simply need an easy to handle mug where the handle doesn't become slippery with condensation. Dishwasher and freezer safe. Nice.

If you have a DIYer around you may be able to do something similar with some pipe insulation.

Beverage Hugs LLC: Beerhug Mug

Disabled Hands recommends the Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener

Related:
Entertaining Tip: Glassware Selection for Special Hands

Technorati Tags: Beerhug Mug, Disabled Hands, drinking, barware, mug, glassware, Beverage Hugs LLC

Help With Applying Postage Stamps

Even if you're living the digital life and making full use of online bill paying systems and options there will probably be a few items that still need postage stamps. Love letters, rent checks, birthday cards, legal paperwork, healthcare forms, etc. keep even the most wired among us using snail mail and postage stamps. For the occasional stamp user I recommend a good use of your long nose pliers for pealing and positioning self adhesive postage stamps.

For those old school mailers that use stamps like they're going out of style (and they are) here is a Smart Stamp dispenser. I haven't used one of these but it may be a good solution if you have difficulty with postage stamps.

Don't forget that many utilities, credit cards, mortgages, car payments and other debts can be paid on-line through online bill payment systems either through the vendor or through your bank. Not only does it save stamps but it saves other potentially difficult tasks for Disabled Hands like opening envelopes, filing bills, writing checks, stuffing envelopes and of course getting out to the mailbox.

Miles Kimball: Smart Stamp Dispenser $8.99

Disabled Hands recommends Black & Decker Lids Off Automatic Jar Opener

Related:
Disabled Hands Tools Archive

Technorati Tags: Miles Kimball, pliers, postage stamps, Smart Stamp Dispenser, self adhesive postage stamps, stamps

Dealing with Zippers

If, like me, you have difficulty grasping and pulling small zipper tabs on coats, jackets, gloves, gadget bags and luggage, having a set of these colorful zipper pulls is just the answer. Where more discrete zips are required a simple hook fashioned from a wire paper clip or a trusty pair of long nose pliers to the rescue. Unfortunately, zipper designers are omitting the holes on zipper pulls more and more. Something else to consider when shopping for cloths, bags and luggage.

Miles Kimball: Zipper Pulls set of 12 $3.49US

Technorati Tags: paper clip, pliers, Miles Kimball, zipper, zipper pulls